Bulgaria’s left-leaning president Rumen Radev says he is stepping down

Bulgaria’s left-leaning president, Rumen Radev, announced his resignation on Monday.

In a televised speech, Radev said he would formally submit his resignation to the Constitutional Court on Tuesday.

According to the constitution, current vice president Iliana Yotova must be sworn in by parliament to take over until the end of the government’s term.

“The battle for the future of our homeland lies ahead of us, and I believe that we will face this struggle together with you, who are worthy, inspiring and unyielding! We are ready. We can and we will succeed!” Radev said this in his speech.

Radev’s decision comes amid public expectation that he will establish a new political party.

His resignation, the first by a head of state in Bulgaria’s post-communist history, comes as the country, a member of the European Union and NATO, struggles to overcome a long-running political crisis.

Massive anti-corruption protests last month led to the resignation of the ruling coalition led by the centre-right GERB party. Attempts to form a new government in the current parliament subsequently failed, leaving the country heading for its eighth parliamentary election since 2021.

Radev, whose second term will end in 2026, has repeatedly stated that he may participate in new elections. The 62-year-old former Air Force general has been a vocal opponent of Boyko Borissov, leader of the GERB party, and Delyan Peevski, a politician and oligarch under US and UK sanctions whose MRF New Start party has repeatedly backed the outgoing GERB-led coalition.

Radev did not say what his plans were on Monday. Asked recently about starting a new party, he said that “there is a need for a party that unites all democrats – left and right – regardless of where they are or whether they are politically active, because we all need fair elections and democratic, free development.”